Inside Voices, Community Conversations:

What does it take to build an early childhood education program rooted in faith, community, and a commitment to the next generation?

On this episode of Inside Voices, host Georgia Goldburn sits down with Pastor Valerie Washington, Executive Director, and Robin Burke, Director of Upon This Rock Academy (UTRA) in New Haven, Connecticut, to discuss their journeys in early childhood education, Black women's leadership, and the importance of creating nurturing, culturally responsive learning environments.

Together, they explore the intersection of faith, education, and community service, the challenges of providing accessible and affordable child care, and why equitable funding and provider advocacy are essential to strengthening Connecticut's early childhood education system.

The conversation also highlights the role of CERCLE, the importance of collective advocacy, and what it means to invest in educators, working families, and the future of our youngest learners.

Learn more about Upon This Rock Academy:
https://utraedu.org/

Location: 900 Grand Avenue, New Haven, CT

 What will it take to build a child care system that truly works for every Connecticut family?

On this episode of Inside Voices: Community Conversations, we sit down with Governor Ned Lamont to talk about the future of child care in Connecticut, including the state’s early childhood endowment, what greater access will require, and how child care connects to the economic security of families and communities across the state.

After the conversation, Georgia and Kim debrief on what they heard, what stood out, and the questions Connecticut still needs to grapple with as this work moves forward.

On this episode of Inside Voices, Georgia Goldburn speaks with Parent Voices Contra Costa Parent Leader Tiffany Reed about turning lived experience into advocacy. From speaking out about concerns at her daughters’ child care center to joining advocates from across the country at the National Child Care Convention in Chicago, Tiffany shares her perspective on parent power, accountability, universal child care, and why families must have a voice in shaping the systems that serve them.

The conversation continues on Inside Voices with our host, Georgia Goldburn, takes a closer look at what equity should mean within Connecticut's mixed-delivery early childhood system.  Building on CERCLE’s Restorative Justice Agenda, this episode examines the relationship between public investment, access, and the providers families depend on daily.  As the state reshapes its early childhood landscape, we consider the larger questions: what will it take to form a system that fairly serves our families and those providing their care? 

This week on Inside Voices, Georgia Goldburn continues unpacking CERCLE’s Restorative Justice Agenda for Connecticut's Mixed-Delivery Early Childhood System, a policy proposal that calls for repairing decades of inequitable public investment while strengthening Connecticut's mixed-delivery system. We dive into the Connecticut Early Start map and what it means for families exploring child care options and providers' available slots in their area.

Connecticut has made historic investments in early childhood education, but what comes next? This week on Inside Voices, Georgia Goldburn explores A Restorative Justice Agenda for Connecticut's Mixed-Delivery Early Childhood System, a policy proposal that calls for repairing decades of inequitable public investment while strengthening Connecticut's mixed-delivery system. The conversation examines five recommendations focused on equitable grant funding, expanding Early Start CT, increasing access to capital for child care entrepreneurs, and improving municipal implementation of state policy. Together, these proposals ask what it will take to build an early childhood system that is not only accessible and high-quality, but also equitable, economically sustainable, and community driven.

Why do some businesses thrive while others struggle to survive, even when demand is strong? Is access to capital the missing piece?

On this episode of Inside Voices, Georgia Goldburn sits down with Mark Hayles of Better Local Capital to discuss entrepreneurship, economic equity, and the barriers many small business owners face when seeking funding. Together, they explore how access to working capital impacts business growth, why childcare is a critical part of Connecticut's economic infrastructure, and what it will take to create more opportunities for underserved entrepreneurs.

The conversation also examines Better Local Capital's CT Childcare Working Capital Financing program, the unique financial realities of childcare businesses, and why investing in providers is an investment in families, workforce participation, and local economies.